Another edition of the Monaco Yacht Show, the world’s most opulent yachting fair, as well as everything associated with this exclusive circle, was held at the end of September in Port Hercules, and it was a tremendous joy to be a part of this one-of-a-kind event
This year in Port Hercules, the hunger for luxury and panache brought on by the pandemic was reflected in the show catalog, and among the 117 super yachts exhibited, as many as 45 were launched in 2023, along with another 16 yachts from 2022, bringing together a fleet of new yachts in one place.
Add to that equally luxurious super-tenders – as many as 61 – and a hundred or so yachts at anchor in the waters of the Principality, and you’ll get a pretty decent idea of how busy this year’s show was.
The show saw 560 exhibitors, thousands of manufacturers of luxury interiors, travel agencies specializing in overseas destinations, high-end design studios and representatives of elite private aviation companies, and most interestingly, new yachts. In the 50-meter segment, the show was almost a private event of the Italian Sea Group, starring the first new Perini Navi, the world’s largest aluminum catamaran. The 45-meter Perini Navi Art Explorer will serve as a floating gallery in partnership with the iconic Louvre museum.
Right next to it was the new Tecnomar catamaran, resembling nothing as much as it resembles a spaceship, a pure expression of the creativity of their in-house Centro Stile. Those two marvels were flanked by the luxurious 75-meter Admiral Kenshō on one side and, on the other, by the 55-meter Admiral appointed in partnership with no other than Giorgio Armani, as well as two 63-foot Lamborghini speedboats with a top speed of 63 knots.
A little farther, we noticed the brand new O’Rea by Greek builder Golden Yachts, as well as the 97-meter Lürssen yacht Carinthia VII, which changed ownership after 20 years with the Austrian royal family and was fabulously refurbished in record time. We must mention that Carinthia is not just a looker; her lush lines hide 40,000 hp, giving her top speed of a fantastic 24 knots.
The largest new yacht in Port Hercules was Bilgin Leona, quite famous for her fountains surrounding the swimming pool next to the beach club – a true display case of the skill and style her Turkish builder is capable of. Bilgin also debuted their 45-meter explorer, which was super interesting to the charter market. Polish shipyard Conrad presented their new 45-meter yacht ACE, boasting balanced interiors and high-quality workmanship.
Perhaps the most unique yacht in Monaco was made by Dutch builders Haakvort and Ocean Independence, who managed to fit a submarine into a 45-meter yacht while at the same time achieving great autonomy and cruising speed, dynamic positioning, optional electric engines, and an unprecedented level of interior construction quality for a 45-meter yacht. Let’s just say the owner had to send veneer from Switzerland.
The world of yachting would not be what it is without the Italian nautical industry, which proudly presented the new 57-meter Sanlorenzo, the new 52-meter Baglietto, the new 45-meter ISA, two new 50-meter Benetti (a nice reminder that Benetti is celebrating 150 years), the 50-meter Tankoa Evolution (Tankoa Evolution Grey is one of the best yachts up to 500 GRT on the market), and many others.
This year, there weren’t too many new sailing vessels, but the honor of the segment was heartily defended by the fabulous new Swan 108. Then there were the mentioned luxury tenders, like the current world speed champion Bolide 80, reaching 76 knots, made by the distinguished Italian expert Brunelo Acampora and his studio Victory Design.
One of the themes of this year’s Monaco show was sustainability, new technologies, and new approaches to environmental protection, a sign that all the big players are finally taking a serious approach to green yachting. Among them was Split-based Nature Safe, the only Croatian exhibitor. At the end of every busy day, the famous Monaco Yacht Club welcomed the selected crowd, which was as glitzy and glamorous as everything we had seen at the show.
Photos Monaco Yacht Show
